Now You See Me

Fifty-Two: In Flames

Two hours had gone by, and Leia still hadn't come back.

The atmosphere in reception was tense. The dead driver had been moved to one of the bedrooms, due for police inspection when the danger had passed, and the rest of us were still in reception, gathered in a miserable circle with nothing to do but wait. The most eventful it had been since Marilyn's arrival was the phone call to Courtney to explain why Lorien hadn't been able to come and see her, during which Feila had spent a good forty-five minutes calming her down and convincing her not to come and see us.

Other than that, the most exciting it got was when either Chris or I had to excuse ourselves to have a bath.

Marilyn herself hadn't said a word since Leia had left. She slouched against the wall in the corner, the depth of the scowl on her face a deterrent even to Lucien, who hovered a reasonable distance away to make sure she didn't go anywhere. I seemed to have been delegated care of my hysterical mother, terrified boyfriend and an elf that seemed to have no comprehension of what was really happening.

Ironic, considering I didn't feel any better than any of them myself.

"I need more caffeine," Mum said abruptly, shattering the silence. Everyone turned to look at her. "Or I'm going to go to sleep right here."

I very much doubted anyone was going to sleep with what was hanging over our heads at this point, but Mum would never admit that she just felt better when she did arbitrary, useless things. I'd seen it many times when she was stressed over events surrounding me; I was willing to bet she didn't even want the coffee she was now beginning to brew in Thea's kitchenette.

"Can I have one too, please?" Thea asked quietly. "Thanks."

"Are you okay?" I leaned down to Chris's ear and whispered to him.

Chris looked up. His lashes were wet, but he hadn't been crying for a while. He just looked vaguely stunned.

"I guess," he mumbled. "As much as I can be."

"You look exhausted."

He actually managed a small, wavering smile for me this time. "There's the pot calling the kettle black."

"True."

I was feeling my exhaustion everywhere, but I was also oddly awake. I couldn't have drifted off with all the will in the world, despite the fact that if I didn't fidget every now and again my eyes began to droop shut.

Another ten minutes passed. Someone sighed dramatically, but still no one made to get up and leave the room. And after a moment, as if on cue, the front door opened and filled the ground floor with a freezing cold wind from outside.

"Leia," Feila sighed, looking relieved as the sorceress appeared in the doorway. Despite the fact that Leia was scowling and looking prickly as anything, the fae crossed the room to enclose her in an embrace. I had to look away; despite it being nothing more than a hug, when it was Feila it felt like I was watching something intimate.

Leia grunted, patting Feila gently on the side and delicately extracting herself when her limited patience ran out.

"What's going on?" Feila asked immediately, unperturbed by Leia's frostiness.

"Nothing," the sorceress muttered, "I went to see my coven. They won't help us with this."

"Why not?" Feila looked astonished. "Aren't they obliged to help one of their own?"

"They are, if they are in genuine peril," Leia said mockingly, "And apparently I don't qualify because of how far back I go with Vashde. You know the rules – personal vendettas should never involve the whole coven."